


Karma Is Always Gonna Chase Him For His Lies

by Lyssa_Alara



Series: I'll Die A Thousand Deaths Before I Let You Win [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Alternate Universe - Demon Hunters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bending (Avatar), Bigotry & Prejudice, Blood and Violence, Demon Hunters, Demons, Discrimination, Earthbending & Earthbenders, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Firebending & Firebenders, How Do I Tag, Hunters & Hunting, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Japanese Culture, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Racism, Swords, Tags Are Hard, Tea, Violence, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Witch Hunters, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), but like the four nations, cause zuko is big brother figure, mainly zuko & lee, zuko tries to be good big brother figure for lee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25350367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssa_Alara/pseuds/Lyssa_Alara
Summary: Zuko during the beginning of season 2. I simultaneously love and hate fanfiction because it's great but it is a black hole. This is the product of my procrastination, so enjoy!
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: I'll Die A Thousand Deaths Before I Let You Win [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835803
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Karma Is Always Gonna Chase Him For His Lies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RiseMaclay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiseMaclay/gifts), [ramsitter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramsitter/gifts), [Hshshshshshwh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hshshshshshwh/gifts), [Alisha40216](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alisha40216/gifts), [ToriJYaki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToriJYaki/gifts).



> Hey guys! Hope you didn't think I would abandon this ;)
> 
> NOTE: I AM MAKING THIS INTO A SERIES INSTEAD OF A SINGLE WORK. IT IS JUST EASIER FOR ME TO VISUALISE EVERYTHING AND WRITE, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GOING IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
> 
> Now, this is a pretty big chapter. Like 2,100 words nearly. This chapter was originally like 400 words and then inspiration hit in with a chair. 
> 
> Just to clear things up, RiseMaclay pointed out two things that I think I should explain:
> 
> 1) When the earth witch in the previous part calls Zuko a fire demon, I was meaning in more in an insult kind of way. Like when someone calls a person 'the devil' kind of thing. In my head, the concept was that all benders were 'witches', but fire benders were slightly different (because of the whole they create their own power instead of drawing from the elements around them like earth, water and air do), and their original purpose was to hunt demons only. However, through propaganda, Sozin managed to convince a lot of Fine Nation citizens that it was their jobs as Agni's blessed to regulate and, eventually, rid the world of witches. So, from the witches perspective, Zuko is just as bad as the demons that would terrorise her home town, which is why I wrote it as 'fire demon'.
> 
> 2) The lore behind this fanfic is going to be heavily drawn upon various east asian country's lore in terms of the demons, and my own brain in terms of the whole witches-hunters idea. So far, I have decided that the Fire Nation will draw heavily from Japan, the Earth Kingdom will draw from China, the Air Nomads will draw from Thailand maybe? And I don't yet know where the Water Tribes will draw from, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!
> 
> Thank you to Trashcan6060 for supporting me through this, it means so much to me. Make sure you check out her two fanfics if you're in the Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia fandom. Also, shout-out to RiseMaclay for leaving kudos and commenting, ToriJYaki for leaving kudos, ramsitter for leaving kudos and commenting, Hshshshshshwh for leaving kudos and commenting, Alisha40216 for commenting and the guest that left kudos! It means a lot to me and I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)

_He's never gonna make it, all the_  
_Poor people he's forsaken, karma_  
_Is always gonna chase him for his lies_  
_It's just a game of waiting from the_  
_Church steeple down to Satan karma_  
_There's really no escape until he dies  
  
\- Alec Benjamin  
  
__\---------------  
  
_When Zuko was declared a traitor to his own Nation, it almost killed him seeing this many witches in one place and not being able to do anything without being absolutely slaughtered where he stood. These were the witches who were threatening his Nation, his people, and all he could do was pretend to be one of them. But what disgusted him was the... normalcy in their lives; how much like Zuko they were, that it left him reeling when he remembered that they weren't his people.  
  
They were the enemy, and an enemy that Zuko would have to crush if his father failed to do it before he died (that was, if he is ever accepted back into the Fire Nation, Zuko thought bitterly, as he realised that his chances of returning to his Nation were dwindling every day he spent as a traitor). It disgusted Zuko, that they were so much like him, but how much happier they were. They woke up in the morning, just like Zuko. They went to the market to buy food for the day, just like Zuko. They went about their daily routines, just like Zuko.  
  
They all returned home, every night without fail, to their families. Their families who kissed them goodnight, who laughed and smiled and jokes with them over a hot meal, who would be willing to go through Koh's lair and back for their loved ones. But what disgusted Zuko the most, was that he craved that. He craved that sense of security, that love, that happiness so badly, and he hated it. He had a family (a horrible one, a voice in the back of his head whispered, but he ignored it like he usually did. After all, things were different for him than these common folk. He was royalty. Everything his father had done to him so far, had been for his own benefit as a future ruler, right?). He shouldn't wish for a calmer, more supportive and loving family and-  
  
Okay, so Zuko wanted a proper family. Sue him.  
  
While he would feel particularly compelled to jump in front of a knife to save his sister, he still loved her. She was his little sister, his little imouto-san*. He wanted to make his father proud, something he never seemed to be capable of accomplishing. As thankful as Zuko was for his Uncle (although he would never say such a thing), it just wasn't the same as knowing his father was proud of him. He just wanted to know if someone - anyone - would remember him if he disappeared, besides his Uncle. His Uncle was surely doing this because of his mother; why else would he put up with Zuko? Even he himself could admit that he was being a little asshole lately, but he didn't care. He just wanted to go home, was that too much to ask for?  
  
More often than not, Zuko and Iroh had to camp on the edge of the villages they traveled to, unless they wanted to run the risk of being discovered. Because of the amount of magic in the area, however, the number of demons attracted to the area increased as well. Which meant it wasn’t safe for Zuko or Iroh to be seen killing demons, else they wanted to be immediately identified as Fire Nation. That would be the end of the line for him and his Uncle. But, they had to defend themselves somehow, seeing as they were out in the middle of demon infested woods, alone, during the entirety of the night.  
  
Zuko had always gone hunting for demons, call it a hobby if you will, but there was something plain unsettling about just sitting down on a rock, scanning the area around him constantly, looking for a monster that was willing to jump out of the bushes and try to take a bite. There was something much more creepy and terrifying about sitting in dead silence (the birds don't sing in the forests, something that gives Zuko chills every time he thinks of it, because if birds - who have perfectly good wings that can take them away from any danger almost immediately - felt threatened enough in the forests that they didn't make a single sound, then it made Zuko wonder what really wandered these forests and if they had been discovered before), on the outskirts of a demon infested forest, waiting for an attack that may or may not come.  
  
Zuko had started sobbing when he realised his back was facing South, and he spun himself around so fast he thought he was going to give himself whiplash. He bit his lip hard enough to almost draw blood before he realised that would only draw demons to their location if they didn't already know they were there (based on how loud his breathing and sobbing was, Zuko guess through a hazy mind that they would know that the two men were there.  
  
Zuko had tried to calm himself down and continue his watch, but he was panicking. He was sobbing, tears blurred his vision and he couldn't breathe. His senses were sharpened in his fight or flight state of mind - as ever Hunter's was when they sensed danger - and every rustle and unearthly growl seemed magnified tenfold, even if the beasts making the sound where residing across the forest. Making a split-second decision that his pride would have protested had he been thinking clearly (or at all), Zuko shuffled into the tent he and his Uncle were sharing and after a moments hesitation, he woke the older man up.  
  
He remembers the older man making a joke of Zuko being a scared little boy, until he saw the tears and the shaking.  
  
"I was facing North, I was facing North and I didn't realise. I didn't realise!" Zuko had sobbed as quietly as he could manage, his breathing somehow becoming more erratic to almost match his heart pounding in his chest. His Uncle had stood him up, taken him outside and sat him down with a steaming cup of tea, silently sitting beside the boy as he tried to calm down. Iroh wrapped his arm around Zuko's shoulders and pulled him to rest against his side - something he hadn't done since Zuko was a very small boy.  
  
Iroh could feel the boy calming down, most likely reassured that he wasn't alone in the dark forest; that if something did attack them, they would be able to fight it off together. Zuko remembered how Iroh had walked him to the tent after his breathing was back to normal, and put him to bed silently, kissing him on the forehead and reassuring him about his ability to keep watch, regardless of if he had done it the previous night.  
  
Zuko had been embarrassed the next morning, choosing to apologise to his Uncle the next morning for his "weakness". He had then asked Iroh if he would be able to go hunting for demons when they got to the next town, if they booked a room where Iroh could sleep safely while Zuko was out hunting and Iroh begrudgingly agreed. It would help his nephew recover from his scare from the previous night, despite how much Iroh hated putting his nephew in danger like that.  
  
Hence, the blue spirit was reborn. Initially, it had been a disguise to free the Avatar from Zhou and capture the airbender for himself, but Zuko had decided to use it for good this time. (He was preparing the land for the Fire Nation, he kept telling himself, but that lie started falling short when he realised that he was doing it for the people of the Earth Kingdom, like the traitor he had been branded as). But when the area started attracting unwanted attention from the Fire Nation and a bounty was put out for the Blue Spirit, Zuko started taking extra care with his secret night adventures to ensure that he wasn’t compromised. He watched with regret as the Avatar’s adventures were advertised and celebrated by the many colonies they visited. Why had he hunted the Avatar down tirelessly for so long? What was the point? He had no hope of ever capturing him; had never had any chance of bringing him back and going home.  
  
His father had sent him on a wild goose chase but, surely not on purpose. Why would he do that to his own son? Zuko was just exaggerating it, to make himself feel better about a shitty situation. There was no reason to blame it all on his father, who had done nothing but try to teach him to become the best ruler the Fire Nation had ever had.  
  
The Summer Solstice passed without much activity and life continued on. Zuko’s tattoos had taken up nearly half of his back and were moving down his shoulders with every demon he slayed. Soon, they would have to move to a Fire Nation colony if they wanted to remain alive. His tattoos would be a dead giveaway.  
  
But he continued to masquerade as the Blue Spirit despite his Uncles warning after he had found Zuko trying to sneak past him and to his bed dressed in his blacks with his mask in one hand and swords in the other, after telling his Uncle that he had stopped going out after they saw the bounty.  
  
Zuko flinched every time he heard the chilling wail of a Banshee - something only Hunters could hear, which upset him even more - warning of death, every time he heard a rustle coming from the bushes and the unearthly growl that followed screams of pain in the forests, even being as unlucky as to see the very Jorogumo** (in it's half woman, half spider form, in the middle of tearing some poor soul to shreds for its dinner. That was a fight Zuko never wanted to remember in his lifetime) that was causing those sounds and terrorised the town he was visiting at the time.  
  
Months of begging and starving and being mocked showed him the cruelty of his own Nation. But, the childish part inside of him that wanted to believe that his father would love him, his mother would come back, and his Nation was right with it’s intentions. A small part of him refused to see the truth. How could everything he had ever been taught, every single little detail, be a lie? It was impossible. He told his Uncle as much, refusing to see the miserable look in his eyes when he left him to go off on his own path. It had taken a lot of control to not turn around and go right back to his Uncle, but Zuko had managed.   
  
Until he met Lee in the small Earth Kingdom village. Zuko had been annoyed with the kid at first, but over a couple of days, Zuko could have considered the kid the annoying little brother that he never had. He was adorable and Zuko felt his dormant big brother instincts kick in; something he never had much use for with Azula. He had almost wanted to stay with the kid, help his family on the farm, protect them and help the kid in whatever way he could.  
  
When he exposed himself as a fire bender to save the village from the sorry excuses called soldiers, the look of hatred on the little boys face ripped Zuko’s heart in two. As he rode away on his ostrich horse, the words of hatred from Lee echoing around his head, he promised himself that he would do something to make the innocent people of the Fire Nation being blamed for the soldiers actions be accepted among the other Nations.  
  
He never wanted anyone to face the prejudice he was facing when the war was over, and he never wanted anyone to be forced to live through what the people of Lee's town had. Zuko had spent a solid week trying to figure out when he had started making plans for when the war was over; and all the plans suggested that his Nation lost the war. It had scared Zuko for a while, until he had learned to live with it. He knew one thing for certain though. He wanted to see his Uncle again.

**Author's Note:**

> A light littering of Japanese:
> 
> * imouto (imouto is little sister directly translated, but with the whole deal of Japanese honorifics, Azula would be called Azula-chan when referred to directly, as she is younger than Zuko, while she would have to call Zuko Nii-san (informal and respectful) or Nii-chan (informal and affectionate)
> 
> ** Jorogumo (in japanese folklore, Jorogumo is a human-eating spider who is believed to lure prey, typically depicted as men, to them by disguising themselves as beautiful women. Of course, this is my version of the avatar world, so they will also have the ability to lure in women as well. Cause I want everyone to feel included and represented in this fic. Feel free to message me or comment if there is another representation that you want me to include)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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